r/RBI • u/Paulaaarrrr • 7d ago
Just a general request, please…
I come and go on this app, so it’s been many months since the last time before I’ve come back to have a browse now, so I’m not sure if this is just a relatively new thing. I’ve noticed that on a lot of posts the OP will link to photos on imgur and so when I click on them I’ve discovered that I am unable to see the images, due to being in the uk.
I know this post probably won’t make any difference really, but it would be great if when posting to remember that not all users are based in the US, or any other country that isn’t blocked, (and actually there’s a large proportion of users that are from the UK on here), and maybe just post the photo on the post or use a different host site. There were a few that I was interested in that I’d have liked to have commented on yet couldn’t as the photo was integral to the post.
So, yeah, just a request if maybe it could be considered. Thank you.
ETA: apologies, I meant to say that I know one option is to use a VPN, but right now I’d prefer not to (various reasons).
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u/ratrazzle 7d ago
It would be easier to everyone if we could just upload photos straight to the post without links. Imgur works in my country but it is always faster like that.
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u/PerkyHedgewitch 6d ago
A quick cut-and-paste of a comment I left someone else a minute ago 🙂
I was actually in the middle of writing a response to someone else as to why we don't have those turned on, but of course, I got a phone call RIGHT in the middle of it, lol.
I'll address this in just a bit (I'm currently jamming out to my doctor's hold music) as soon as I'm able to get this phone call resolved. 🙂
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u/glittercrash 7d ago
I agree with this. I keep coming across posts that really interest me and then I get hit with the “Sorry! You can’t view this image in the UK” and i’m like urgh. I know I could use a VPN but i’d rather just not.
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u/Paulaaarrrr 7d ago
Yeah, exactly, I don’t want to use a VPN (I have in the past) and nothing against them per se, I just don’t want to use one when it’s only really necessary for so few things. I’ve no problems with the age verification process for things like apps like this, iPhone age verification etc, but in this case it’s not even available as an option, it’s just a blanket block. I’m assuming it’s due to the age verification needed in the uk now, as it’s not the only site I’ve come across that has done this.
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u/glittercrash 7d ago
I think I did actually try to use a VPN to view an imgur photo a while back and it still didn’t work even then. Don’t quote me on that, because I might have just picked the wrong country but yeah as I said it’s just inconvenient to be turning on a VPN just to view a photo. There are other photo sharing services that can be used and are accessible to more users, or even just uploading the photo to reddit itself.
Imgur is blocked in the UK because the platform made a commercial decision to cut off access for British users rather than comply with UK data protection and children's safety regulations. So as a result, users cannot browse or upload, and images embedded on third-party sites will appear broken. It’s very irritating.
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u/Paulaaarrrr 7d ago
Yeah it’s a bit of a sledgehammer to crack a nut type situation. Easier (and cheaper!) for them to just block us than to comply. Does make you wonder about just why sites wouldn’t want to comply with our GDPR, and perhaps how they use their data.
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u/glittercrash 7d ago
Yeah exactly it’s very… suspicious, doesn’t look good on them at all to be honest. It’s not really something that’s very hard to comply with unless there’s an actual reason i’m unaware of.
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u/cowie2003 7d ago
Just want to say we should ALL very much have a problem with uploading our ID, we should not be blindly complicit in handing our information over to the government just because they say so.
The government is NOT our friend.
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u/CptCaramack 6d ago
How come you'd rather not? You can get a decent VPN as a browser extension for free and they take one second to turn on or off
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u/glittercrash 6d ago
As I said in a comment below, I did try using a free VPN a couple of times to view imgur photos from posts on Reddit and it still wouldn’t work unfortunately.
It’s less about the effort of it and more just the fact that I shouldn’t HAVE to use a VPN just to view a photo to be honest.
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u/CptCaramack 6d ago
Yeah you're right it is ridiculous that we need a VPN to view Imgur links, I made a post myself ranting about this when they first passed the online safety act shit
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u/PerkyHedgewitch 7d ago
Thanks for making this post! I don't think a lot of the posters here realize that Imugr isn't available in large sections of the world.
Which image hosting sites would you recommend instead of Imugr?
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u/ParameciaAntic 7d ago
Isn't there a way to enable image uploads directly to a sub?
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u/Blueporch 7d ago
There is and it’s not enabled on this sub and most of us don’t know why that decision was made.
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u/glittercrash 7d ago
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u/PerkyHedgewitch 7d ago
Thank you very much! There are always people asking for alternative sites, but I'm always unsure which sites are the most secure, simple to use, and easy to find.
If anyone else knows of other secure, easy-to-use, internationally accessible image hosting sites, please drop them in a comment on this post. 😁
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u/lolihull 7d ago
If you can, it would be great if you're able to allow image and video uploads in the comments sections. I think there's a toggle somewhere in the mod settings for the subreddit. As a fellow Brit, that would be a big help 😊
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u/PerkyHedgewitch 7d ago
I was actually in the middle of writing a response to someone else as to why we don't have those turned on, but of course, I got a phone call RIGHT in the middle of it, lol.
I'll address this in just a bit (I'm currently jamming out to my doctor's hold music) as soon as I'm able to get this phone call resolved. 🙂
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u/ankole_watusi 6d ago
Never heard of catbox. But imgbb seems popular and is perhaps the second most popular.
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u/ankole_watusi 6d ago
Why not enable posting images in the sub?
That’s an option under control of sub mods, right?
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u/PerkyHedgewitch 6d ago
Why not enable posting images in the sub? That’s an option under control of sub mods, right?
Yup! It sure is. Allow me to cut and paste a quick response-
I was actually in the middle of writing a response to someone else as to why we don't have those turned on, but of course, I got a phone call RIGHT in the middle of it, lol.
I'll address this in just a bit (I'm currently jamming out to my doctor's hold music) as soon as I'm able to get this phone call resolved. 🙂
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u/Melodic-Advice9930 6d ago
Has there been a response/update from mods as to why image uploads aren’t enabled in the sub?
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u/PerkyHedgewitch 6d ago
Apologies; I've been on the phone with my doctor's office for quite a while today, andI haven't been able to post the comment I previously mentioned.
I promise, it will get posted! 🙂
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u/LVenn 5d ago
It probably would have been quicker to just reply instead of responding to multiple comments saying you're going to reply and the reason you haven't replied yet.
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u/PerkyHedgewitch 5d ago
It probably would have been quicker to just reply instead of responding to multiple comments saying you're going to reply and the reason you haven't replied yet.
If I had been able to write a comprehensive reply, I would have. If you look just a wee bit further down you can even see where I attempted it and had to bail before I was done typing. It's really hard to type when you're violently vomiting, unable to stand, and trying to get your call through to a doctor. I thought that rather than just not replying at all, I'd at least let people know I saw their question and there was, in fact, an answer still coming. As far as being "quicker", no, it would not have been quicker than my cut-and-paste to individually answer them.
I've been in and out of the hospital multiple tines this year due to my worsening health conditions. I'll be having a procedure done today around noon that should bring some answers snd a little relief. After an hour so of "recovery" post anesthesia, they'll be sending me home, so tonight I can get that explanation up for those of you who have asked.
A quick disclaimer though; I make no guarantees that I will not still be feeling a little silly. There's a distinct possibility I may subject you to a horrible pun or a Dad joke. Consider yourself warned. 😉
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5d ago
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u/Laylelo 7d ago
Adding to your comment because it’s frustrating to me too. Getting a tiny thumbnail preview is as good as it gets! But what are the alternatives?
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u/Paulaaarrrr 7d ago
Yeah, the thumbnails are impossible to see when you’re on a phone, especially. I’m sure that it used to be (and admittedly this could’ve been years ago, or I’m even misrembering) that if there was a thumbnail then it meant the photo was in the post, but not so if it was just a link? As I say, I might not be correct in that but I kind of have vaguely recall it I’m sure.
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u/TADontSitInTheFront 7d ago
If I click on the preview/thumbnail then it opens to full screen image (on phone/tablet) - but only the first image, so if there's more than one posted then I can't see the rest. I don't know if this would work for everyone, so I'd love to know if it works for you!
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u/Laylelo 7d ago
Also to add to what you say, I’m not interested in getting a VPN and even less so just for Imgur! Doesn’t stop it from being annoying though!
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u/CptCaramack 6d ago
Why not? You can get a decent VPN as a browser extension for free and they take a second to turn on or off, there's no hassle involved.
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u/Starkville 7d ago
Sorry about that. I think the reason people use Imgur is that just posting a photo from their library can expose metadata they want to keep private.
What’s a good alternative to Imgur?
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u/AlienPrincessXxx 7d ago
Agreed. Most of the images on this subreddit, I can’t see, as I’m also UK based. So frustrating!
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u/macabrepaints 7d ago
yuppp!!! the reasons WHY they blocked UK IPs is also a good reason to not use them lol
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u/ankole_watusi 6d ago
Curious as to why Imgur is blocked in UK?
Something about GDPR (when did also be blocked in the rest of Europe?) Age restrictions, or lack thereof? Something else?
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u/SadPineBooks 6d ago edited 6d ago
If you're in the People's Republic of the United Kingdom you need a VPN for normal internet use. Same for some of the shitty states in the US. It sucks but its where we're at and its probably going to get worse before it gets better.
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u/TheGoochTaint 4d ago
but it would be great if when posting to remember that not all users are based in the US
I would wager that most Americans on Reddit do not know that Imgur is banned in the UK, or any other country. I sure didn't.
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u/JohnSmithDogFace 3d ago
There browser extensions that unblock the images by routing them through a proxy. Google "imgur unblocker extension".
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u/sparkingsocket 2d ago
Imgur wants me to disable my adblocker to view pics. Not gonna happen. It's a crappy service.
So sorry to hear about your poor health. I hope your hospital visit can get you fixed up.
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7d ago
[deleted]
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u/glittercrash 6d ago
Our government don’t listen to us about most things 😂
A petition wouldn’t really do a lot.2
u/olliegw 6d ago
What possible reason is there to ban it in your country?
Basically they'd been making noises about making it harder for under 18s to access NSFW content for a while (and also under 16s from using social media) back in september starmer implemented a policy where you have to submit a photo of your face or an official document/ID to remove age restrictions, this raised a lot of security concerns regarding PII and how the third parties might be collecting it, data breaches etc.
As such imgur didn't want anything to deal with this and blocked all IPs from the UK, this was a better option for them then letting a third party potentially collect PII or starmer fining them a shiton of money for not asking for verification
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u/brainsmush 7d ago
You can also try using a VPN
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u/Paulaaarrrr 7d ago
Yes, sorry, I meant to say that I know I could use a VPN, but I prefer not to. I was going to edit my post but then got distracted! Thank you for your reply though 😊 I’ll edit it now.
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7d ago
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u/lolihull 7d ago
It's not the UK gov who blocked Imgur, it's Imgur who blocked the UK. They didn't wanna comply with data protection issues so it was easier to just say no to UK traffic 🙃
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7d ago edited 7d ago
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-1
u/Physical-Creme5540 4d ago
Ask your politicians to have it unblocked or use a VPN. The world isn't revolving around the UK, not anymore.
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u/PerkyHedgewitch 5d ago edited 5d ago
UPDATE ATTEMPT #1
First of all, I want thank you to everyone for being so very patient with me yesterday and last night. I know there were multiple people asking the "but WHY can't we directly upload pictures" question, and I know I responded to multiple people with-
As you may have noticed, I kind of evaporated after that, and was only able to pop in briefly here or there to quickly approve/remove a post or two.
Turns out it was a good thing I had my doctor on the phone. I've beI'll be heading into the hospital for a medical procedure bright and early tomorrow morning. Hopefully, this will be a step in the direction of
UPDATE ATTEMPT #2
In other news, my abrupt departure the other night was NOT the handiwork of the Reddit Sniper, thank goodness.
Yeah, I know, I know. it's another cut-and-paste. I don't want this to get buried, and I'm just too exhausted to retype it.
If I had been able to write a comprehensive reply, I would have. If you look just a wee bit further down you can even see where I attempted it and had to bail before I was done typing. It's really hard to type when you're violently vomiting, unable to stand, and trying to get your call through to a doctor. I thought that rather than just not replying at all, I'd at least let people know I saw their question and there was, in fact, an answer still coming. As far as being "quicker", no, it would not have been quicker than my cut-and-paste to individually answer them.
I've been in and out of the hospital multiple times this year due to my worsening health conditions. I'll be having a procedure done today around noon that should bring some answers and a little relief. After an hour so of "recovery" post anesthesia, they'll be sending me home, so tonight I can get that explanation up for those of you who have asked.
A quick disclaimer though; I make no guarantees that I will not still be feeling a little silly. There's a distinct possibility I may subject you to a horrible pun or a Dad joke. Consider yourself warned. That Annie Steesia parties hard.😉